Liverpool Council reveals what is being done to end mosquito ‘plague’ in areas like Chipping Norton

Swarms of mosquitoes are set to be trapped at hotspots across Sydney’s southwest in a bid to curb the ongoing “plague”, as residents continue to battle the pesky insects.

Tanya Kaur and Michael Paps, the co-owners of the U8F Gym in Chipping Norton, are affected by the mosquito plague that has descended on southwest Sydney. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Swarms of mosquitoes are set to be trapped at hotspots across Sydney’s southwest in a bid to curb the ongoing “plague”, as residents continue to battle the pesky insects.

The ploy is part of a plan to identify the species that has been terrorising locals in the Liverpool area in recent days and help an expert come up with the best option to manage the outbreak, which was last week traced back to a Sydney Water recycling plant in Warwick Farm.

Liverpool Council has revealed it plans to conduct the trapping in “hotspots” near the plant and in the Chipping Norton area, with the help of a mosquito expert from the NSW Health entomology department.

In the coming days, it is also set to take steps that include spraying “nuisance mosquitoes in public facilities”, and engaging a contractor to spray larvicide in the insects’ natural habitats.

The council has said it has already treated mosquito outbreaks in public facilities across Liverpool and sent letters to residents in the Chipping Norton area, urging them to clean up or drain neglected swimming pools in a bid to address the issue. About 50 neglected pools have been identified in the area.

Some southwest Sydney residents have called the issue a mosquito “plague”. Picture: Supplied

Mosquito samples have so far been taken from Moorebank, Wattle Grove and Hammondville, with NSW Health pathology staff to conduct analysis.

The council has also launched a further investigation into possible breeding areas in Moorebank, Liverpool, Wattle Grove, Hammondville and surrounding suburbs.

Michael Paps and Tanya Kaur, the co-owners of U8F Gym in Chipping Norton, which has been affected by the mosquito “plague”. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Sydney Water has confirmed to Liverpool Council it is “working with different stakeholders to arrange the spraying of controlling agents into the settlement ponds”, saying it would advise the council once this had occurred.

Residents and business owners last week detailed how the mosquito “explosion” has impacted on their lives, describing the issue as impossible to escape in the Liverpool area.

Tanya Kaur, the co-owner of U8F Ultim8 Fitness in Chipping Norton, told this masthead last Friday she had been attacked by mosquitoes at all hours of the day.

“When I’m leaving the gym around 6.30pm, the mozzies come into my car while I’m driving home,” she said.

“It’s like the plague,” she said.

“I’ve never seen anything like this ... when we brush the trees out the front of the business, hundreds of them (mosquitoes) fall out and some even follow me inside”.